Running board mounting bracket

ABSTRACT

A running board support assembly ( 200 ) for fastening a running board step ( 104 ) to a vehicle includes a support bracket ( 204 ) for engagement with the running board step, and a mounting bracket ( 202 ) for coupling the support bracket ( 204 ) to the vehicle. The mounting bracket ( 202 ) includes a hooking end ( 212 ) and a pin ( 214 ). The support bracket ( 204 ) includes a hook ( 226 ) for engagement with the hooking end ( 212 ), and an aperture ( 218 ) for engagement with the pin ( 214 ). When assembled, the hook ( 226 ) and the aperture ( 218 ) cooperate to tension the mounting bracket ( 202 ) and thereby secure the support bracket ( 204 ) to the mounting bracket ( 202 )

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an automotive running board. Inparticular, the present invention relates to a support assembly forattaching a running board to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The conventional automotive running board consist of a step and asupport frame which secures the step to the vehicle. Typically, thesupport frame is bolted to the undercarriage of the vehicle and extendslaterally outwards from the undercarriage in order to locate the stepadjacent the door sill or the rocker panel of the vehicle. Althoughrunning boards are widely used, particularly in trucking applications,the conventional running board has at least two notable deficiencies.

[0003] First, since the support frame of the conventional running boardis secured to the undercarriage of the vehicle, it is often difficult toaccess the attachment points of the running board.

[0004] Second, the support frame of the conventional running board issecured to the undercarriage through bolts. These bolts are stressedwhenever a load is placed on the running board step, and must beperiodically retorqued, otherwise the step of the running board maybegin to rattle when the vehicle is in motion. However, bolt retorquingis often problematic since the bolts are subject to corrosion, and sinceaccess to the bolts is difficult.

[0005] Therefore, there remains a need for a running board which can beeasily attached to a vehicle. Further, there remains a need for arunning board which is not in need of periodic adjustment to maintainthe running board step rigidly secured to the vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The disadvantages of the prior art may be overcome by providing arunning board support assembly that operates to tension the connectionbetween the support bracket and the mounting bracket.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a running board support assembly that secures a running boardstep to a vehicle. The support assembly includes a support bracketengagable with the running board step in a supporting relation. Thesupport bracket has a hook at a distal end and an aperture spaced fromthe distal end. A mounting bracket couples with the support bracket. Themounting bracket has a generally U-shaped configuration having a bightportion and a first arm and a second arm, each of the arms extend fromthe bight portion. The first arm has a hooking end engaging the hook ina pivoting relation and the second arm has a pin engaging the apertureupon urging the first arm towards the second arm to align the pin withthe aperture. When assembled, the hook and the hooking end cooperate totension the mounting bracket and thereby lock the support bracket to themounting bracket.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a running board kit for securing a running board step to avehicle.

[0009] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a method of installing a running board step to a vehicle. Arunning board step is provided with a pair of support brackets. Eachsupport bracket has a hook at a distal end and an aperture spaced fromthe distal end. A pair of mounting brackets is mounted on the vehicle.Each mounting bracket has a generally U-shaped configuration having abight portion and a first arm and a second arm extending from the bightportion. The first arm has a hooking end and the second arm has a pin.The hooks of the support bracket are hooked about respective hookingends of the mounting bracket. The support bracket are pivoted about thehooks and urging the first arm towards the second arm aligning the pinwith the aperture. The pin is inserted into the aperture. The pin isfastened to the mounting bracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described,by way of example only, with reference to the attached drawings, inwhich:

[0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the door sill panel of a vehicle,the running board step, and the mounting bracket and the support bracketof the running board assembly securing the running board step to thedoor sill panel;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket and the doorsill panel shown in FIG. 1; and

[0013]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the running board step and thesupport bracket shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0014]FIG. 1 of the drawings shows an inner portion of the door sill 102of a vehicle, a running board step 104, and a running board supportassembly 200 for securing the running board step 104 to the door sill102. Typically, the door sill 102 is located adjacent the bottom portionof a vehicle door, and includes an outer panel (not shown), asubstantially vertical inner panel 102 a secured to the outer panel, anda substantially horizontal apron 102 b which extends inwardly from thelower extremity of the vertical inner panel 102 a towards the vehicleundercarriage.

[0015] As shown, the running board assembly 200 comprises a mountingbracket 202 and a support bracket 204. Preferably, the mounting bracket202 is flexible and is fabricated from a metal alloy, however othersuitable materials may be used as will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill. Also, preferably the mounting bracket 202 has a substantiallyU-shape, and comprises a substantially planar bight 206 and a pair ofparallel opposing arms 208 a, 208 b which extend at a substantiallyright angle from the bight 206. However, as will become apparent, othershapes for the mounting bracket 202 may also be adopted.

[0016] The bight 206 includes an aperture (concealed in the drawings)which receives a retaining bolt 210 therein for securing the mountingbracket 202 to the vertical inner panel 102 a of the door sill 102. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, when the mounting bracket 202 is secured to thedoor sill 102, the bight 206 of the mounting bracket 202 is disposedwith a substantially vertical orientation, flush against the verticalinner panel 102 a of the door sill 102. The arms 208 extend laterallyinboard from the vertical inner panel 102 a with a substantiallyhorizontal orientation beneath the undercarriage of the vehicle, withone of the arms 208 being disposed above the other of the arms 208.

[0017] Each of the arms 208 includes a fastening portion disposedadjacent a respective end thereof. Preferably, the upper arm 208 a isprovided with a hooking end or a hook receiving structure that includesa pair of separated upturned fingers 212 a, 212 b defining a lockingchannel 214 therebetween. The upper arm 208 a also includes a downturnedstop 216 which is disposed centrally to the upturned fingers 212. Aswill become apparent, other configurations for the hooking end may alsobe adopted.

[0018] Preferably, the fastening portion provided on the lower arm 208 bincludes a tensioning pin 218 extending at an acute angle therefrom in adirection laterally away from the bight 206 and downwardly away from theupper arm 208 a. Preferably, the lower arm 208 b also includes a guidepin 220 extending therefrom in a direction laterally towards the bight206 but downwardly away from the upper arm 208 a for securing the lowerarm 208 b to the horizontal apron 102 b of the door sill 102. Further,preferably the tensioning pin 218 and the guide pin 220 are threaded toreceive a nut thereon to rigidly secure the mounting bracket 202 (andhence the running board step 104) to the door sill 102. As above,however, other configurations for the lower fastening portion may alsobe adopted.

[0019] The support bracket 204 has a substantially L-shape, andcomprises a base 222 and a leg 224 extending upwardly from the base 222.Preferably, the support bracket 204 has an inverted U-shapedcross-section. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the support bracket 204is secured to the vehicle, the leg 224 is disposed beneath theundercarriage of the vehicle. Preferably, the leg 224 extends at anobtuse angle away from the base 222, however other orientations may beadopted.

[0020] The leg 224 includes a hook 226 disposed at a distal end thereof.As shown in FIG. 3, the hook 226 includes a curved portion 228 extendingfrom the end of the leg 224, and a substantially planar locking flange230 disposed at the end of the curved portion 228. Preferably, thelocking flange 230 comprises a pair of horizontal locking tabs 230 a,230 b which extend laterally away from each other. As shown in FIG. 1,the curved portion 228 of the hook 226 is sized to be slidably receivedwithin the locking channel 214 of the mounting bracket 202 and is shapedto urge the tabs 230 a, 230 b rigidly against the upturned fingers 212a, 212 b of the mounting bracket 202 when the downturned stop 216engages the leg 224. As will be apparent, if configurations for theupper fastening portion (other than that shown in the drawings) areadopted, it may be necessary to reconfigure the hook 226 to ensure thatthe leg 224 securely engages the mounting bracket 202.

[0021] The leg 224 of the support bracket 204 also includes an aperturespaced from the distal end for receiving the tensioning pin 218 therein.However, the aperture is located within the leg 224 such that when thehook 226 is rigidly engaged by the fastening portion of the upper arm208 a, the aperture does not readily engage with the tensioning pin 218.Rather, to locate the tensioning pin 218 within the aperture, the upperarm 208 a must be urged downwards or cantilevered towards the lower arm208 b. In this position, the upper and lower arms 208 are no longerparallel, and the mounting bracket 202 is maintained under tension,thereby locking the support bracket 204 to the mounting bracket 202.

[0022] To secure the running board step 104 to the vehicle, initiallythe bight 206 of the mounting bracket 202 is secured to the innervertical surface 102 a of the door sill 102 (or frame of the vehicle)and the guide pin 220 of the mounting bracket 202 is secured to thehorizontal apron 102 b of the door sill 102. Preferably, the mountingbracket 202 is secured to the door sill 102 by nuts or other suitablefasteners, as part of the original equipment manufacturing process.

[0023] Thereafter, the running board step 104 is secured to the base 222of the support bracket 204 by suitable fasteners. The running boardstep/support bracket assembly is oriented such that the leg 224 extendsunder the vehicle, and is then secured to the vehicle by hooking thecurved portion 228 at the distal end of leg 224 within the lockingchannel 214 of the fastening portion of the upper arm 208 a. The boardstep/support bracket assembly is then rotated downwards and laterallyoutboard away from the undercarriage of the vehicle. The locking flange230 of the anchor 226 will rotate against the bias of upturned fingers212 of the fastening portion until the leg 224 engages the downturnedstop 216 of the upper arm 208 a.

[0024] After the leg 224 engages the downturned stop 216, the boardstep/support bracket assembly is rotated further away from theundercarriage and pivoting about the end of the stop 216, thereby urgingthe upper arm 208 a downwards towards the lower arm 208 b and placingthe mounting bracket 202 under tension. The board step/support bracketassembly is rotated downwards and outwards until the tensioning pin 218of the lower arm 208 b can be located within the aperture provided inthe leg 224 of the support bracket 204. As will be apparent, once thetensioning pin 218 is captured within the aperture provided in the leg224, the tension due to the deformation of the upper arm 208 a relativeto the lower arm 208 b locks the support bracket 204 to the mountingbracket 202. To reduce the likelihood of the support arm 204 beingsubsequently dislodged from the mounting bracket 202 by means of a loadbeing placed on the running board step 104, preferably the support arm204 is further secured to the mounting bracket 202 by means of asuitable fastener applied to the tensioning pin 218.

[0025] As will be apparent from the foregoing, since the support bracket204 and the attached running board step 104 are secured to the vehicledue to the tension induced in the mounting bracket 202, the runningboard step 104 is not prone to rattle. Further, since the installer needonly engage the locking flange 230 of the anchor 226 between theupturned fingers 212 of the upper arm 208 a, the installer can securethe running board step 104 to the vehicle without the need for a hoist.

[0026] The present invention is defined by the claims appended hereto,with the foregoing description being merely illustrative of thepreferred embodiment of the present invention. Those of ordinary skillmay envisage certain additions, deletions and/or modifications to thedescribed embodiments which, although not explicitly described herein,do not depart from the scope of the invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A running board support assembly for securing arunning board step to a vehicle, the support assembly comprising: asupport bracket engagable with the running board step in a supportingrelation, said support bracket having a hook at a distal end and anaperture spaced from said distal end; and a mounting bracket forcoupling with the support bracket, the mounting bracket having agenerally U-shaped configuration having a bight portion and a first armand a second arm, each of said arms extending from the bight portion,said first arm having a hooking end engaging said hook in a pivotingrelation and a second of said arms having a pin engaging said apertureupon urging said first arm towards said second arm to align said pinwith said aperture.
 2. The running board support assembly according toclaim 1, wherein the hooking end comprises a pair of locking fingersdefining a locking channel therebetween, and the hook comprises alocking flange configured to engage the fingers.
 3. The running boardsupport assembly according to claim 2, wherein the hooking end furthercomprises a stop for urging the locking flange against the lockingfingers when the support bracket engages the stop.
 4. The running boardsupport assembly according to claim 3, further comprising a fastenerconnectable to said pin fastening said support bracket to said mountingbracket.
 5. The running board support assembly according to claim 4,wherein said mounting bracket has an aperture sized to receive afastener to attach the mounting bracket to the vehicle.
 6. The runningboard support assembly according to claim 5, wherein said mountingbracket has a guide pin extending therefrom, said guide pin positionedto engage a generally horizontal flange of a mounting structure of saidvehicle, thereby maintaining generally vertical alignment of saidmounting bracket relative to the vehicle.
 7. The running board supportassembly according to claim 3, further comprising a fastener connectableto said guide pin.
 8. A running board kit for securing a running boardstep to a vehicle, the running board kit comprising: a running boardstep; and at least two running board support assemblies according to anypreceding claim.
 9. A method of installing a running board step to avehicle, comprising the steps of: providing a running board step with apair of support brackets, each having a hook at a distal end and anaperture spaced from said distal end; mounting a pair of mountingbrackets on said vehicle, each of said mounting brackets having agenerally U-shaped configuration having a bight portion and a first armand a second arm extending from the bight portion, said first arm havinga hooking end and said second arm having a pin; hooking said hooks ofsaid support bracket about respective hooking ends of said mountingbracket; pivoting said support bracket about said hooks and urging saidfirst arm towards said second arm aligning said pin with said aperture;inserting said pin into said aperture; and fastening said pin to saidmounting bracket.
 10. A method according to claim 9, wherein saidhooking end has a stop and said step of pivoting comprises moving thesupport bracket relative to support bracket until the support bracketengages said stop and thereafter movement of the support bracket flexesthe first arm.
 11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said step ofmounting includes inserting a guide pin extending from said mountingbracket into an aperture in said vehicle and fastening said mountingbracket to said vehicle.